


Playing Hero

by GracelessAngel



Category: jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Blood and Gore, But I hope you enjoy, Gun Violence, I've been working for so long on this so I really hope you like it, Jack is my hero, Or not, So much angst, either way whatever, he's also Mark's hero in this story lol, i love to hate it, if not though that's okay too, or is it septicplier idk, really bad irish text, septiplier if you squint, so sit back and enjoy, sorry - Freeform, that's your decision to make, this is gonna be a long story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-07-16 04:53:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7253284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GracelessAngel/pseuds/GracelessAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark and Jack are meeting in the airport, ready for their week of ‘debauchery’, when a gun goes off in their boarding station. Panic ensues, and shit hits the fan real quick.<br/>Warning- blood, gore, violence, babies, and awfully trying to type in a way that sounds Irish.<br/>Also, a quick note: No, this isn’t a Septiplier fic. I did, however, did try to write it to where, if you really wanted to view it as Septiplier, you can. But my intention was to make it just platonic between Jack and Mark. So there will be no romantic interest for either of the boys.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What the hell?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! Welcome to Playing Hero! I’ll have chapter notes at the beginning of each chapter, so I look forward to talking to you later!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Jack are meeting in the airport, ready for their week of ‘debauchery’, when a gun goes off in their boarding station. Panic ensues, and shit hits the fan real quick.
> 
> Warning- blood, gore, violence, babies, and awfully trying to type in a way that sounds Irish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you’ll forgive me for probably butchering the way Jack speaks. Trying to put it into text is much harder than it looks, really. Anyways, enjoy chapter 1!

Mark groaned and grabbed his head. _Oh, fuck, my head._ He pushed himself off the ground to see Jack, hunched over beside him and clutching onto his abdomen. _What the hell just happened? Are we drunk? Is this a hangover? Wait, I can’t drink. No._

“Jack?” He rested back on his arms, feeling queasy. _Really, what the hell?_ “Jack, what the hell is going on?”

“Mark… Shit, man… You’re okay…” Jack said, coughing. Now Mark was worried, and he crawled over to his friend. _Oh my god… There’s blood everywhere… How the hell did they get into this mess?_

 

_Two Hours Earlier;_

            “-And I’ll see you in the next video. Bye-bye!” He shut off his camera and looked at the time. Jack had told him that his flight would land at 4pm, and it was almost 2pm now. _I have a feeling I should leave early, just in case. It takes half an hour to get there, another half hour to get through to his gate… Yeah, I should leave in a few minutes._

He put on a new shirt, having soiled his current shirt in a new _Reading Your Comments_ video, grabbed his water bottle and keys, then dialed the number for his local taxi office because there was no way in hell he was going to find parking at LAX.

It took ten minutes for the taxi to show, which wasn’t a bad amount of time, and they got to LAX in thirty-eight minutes. Traffic was worse today than it’s been more recently. He paid him and went well on his way. He had just over an hour to spare in getting to Jack’s gate, which ended up being plenty of time because it only took him fifteen minutes to get a seat close to the gate. He counted the time. _I have fifty-seven minutes left to just chill out. What to do?_

He ended up going to a gift shop and buying a book to read. He picked up _The Maze Runner_. It looked intriguing, and he sat and read the first chapter in the gift shop before buying the book. Three chapters in, and someone spoke on the intercom;

_Flight 127 has just landed. Flight 127, from Ireland to LAX, has now landed. Please await further announcement for the opening of Gate 7. Thank you._

_Nice!_ Mark thought as he shut his book. _It’ll only take a few minutes for him to get off the plane, then we can grab his luggage and get out of here._ He didn’t like how crowded the airport got once a plane landed, especially an international flight. Usually everyone was cranky right after being stuck on a plane for that long, and Mark didn’t blame them. It sucked being stuck in a flying metal box for hours on end.

_Gate 7 is now open, Flight 127 is now unboarding. Thank you._

Mark got up and grabbed his book, walking to the now open gate doors. It only took about 5 minutes, but he soon saw Jack’s electric green head poking out of the crowd.

“Jack!” Mark waved and grinned. Man, was it good to see him in person again.

“Mark, hey!” Jack grinned, pulling his carry-on behind him. “Man, it’s good ta see ya!”

“It’s good to see you, too!” They hugged just a minute before letting go. “Are you ready for this weekend, and one amazing night of debauchery?”

“I’m ready, Freddy!” The two laughed. They were going to livestream Five Nights at Fuckboys, and plenty of other games for charity. It was something they had been looking forward to for months!

“How was the flight?” Mark asked him, walking with Jack away from the gate.

“I’d tell ya it was great, but I honestly don’t know.” Mark gave him a puzzled look, and Jack laughed. “I slept almost tha entire time!” Mark joined Jack in his laughter. Their good time was irrupted by a man yelling and waving his arms around. Then, a gunshot…


	2. Get in the Gate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark remembers how in the hell they got into this mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the shortest chapter, but don’t worry! I have plans to post some longer chapters in the future, if you guys like this story.   
> I’m sorry this chapter skips around so much from present time to the past, but it’ll stop next chapter, I promise! If you guys have anything to say about this fic so far, please don’t hesitate to talk to me! I’d be happy to answer questions, resolve issues, or maybe even look into ideas for my next fic!   
> Love you all!

_Present Time;_

“Jack, don’t move, don’t talk.” He said, grabbing him and laying him down. Jack’s head came to rest on Mark’s legs. It was like a sappy scene out of a movie. “Someone, help me! God, what the hell happened?” A woman ran up quietly and held pressure to Jack’s bullet wound. Mark nodded in thanks.

“They’ve got this place… shut up pretty tight, man…” Jack coughed. “I tried ta stop ‘em. I did, I did…” He coughed again, this time with blood bubbling up out of his mouth. “Are ya hurt?”

“Jack, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, I’m not hurt, I’m okay. You did good, Jack. You’ve got to stop talking though, okay?”

“They… They almost shot ya, Mark.”

“You should have let them. Why’d you do that?”

“’Cause… you’re my friend, man. Like… like a brother. That’s what… we do…”

“Jack, open your eyes. Jack?” he didn’t respond.  “Jack!”

 

_Fifteen Minutes Earlier:_

“Get down!” Mark yelled, pushing Jack down and attempting to cover him with his own body. Two more gunshots went off, but luckily it was just into the air. After the screams had died down, the man started yelling at people to get into the gate. Everybody began to crowd in, except for a little boy and his mother.

“Didn’t you hear me, I said get in the gate!” The man yelled. The little boy pointed to his ears.

“Wait, wait! They’re deaf!” Jack yelled. “They just got offa my flight, they’re deaf! They can’t hear ya!” The man pointed his gun at Jack, and he flinched. “Sir, please, just gesture over here. They’ll understand ya.”

The man pointed his gun at the two and pointed them towards the gate. The mom grabbed her son and ran to the gate with the others. Jack signed a breath of relief. _Thank god._

“You’re not deaf, I know that! Get in the fucking gate!” He pointed his gun at Mark, who had been helping young kids and their families stick together. He didn’t hear, though, as he was holding a screaming toddler who couldn’t find his mom. “Get in the fucking gate!”

_Oh god, Mark, get in tha damn gate!_

“Last warning!” Mark finally turned around, confused. _What the- Oh god, he’s got the gun at me…_

**_BANG_ **

“Fuck!” Mark yelled, falling to the ground. He awaited the white hot pain of a bullet in his chest, but it never came. There was only pressure on him… and electric green hair…

“Jack!” Mark was careful not to move him, he was scared to hurt him worse. Then, there was the butt of a gun in his face.

“I told you to get in the fucking gate.” He was hit.


	3. A Mother's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I am introducing a fan-inspired character. I've heard stories from how fans have been introduced to the boys and how they helped in their hard times, so i've incorporated those into one character. I really hope you guys like her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this chapter forward, it’ll be all present time unless said otherwise! I’m also introducing a character inspired from fans, and their stories of getting to know our boys. Thank you for reading this far, and I really hope you’ll like the many chapters that are to come! If you have anything to say about this fic, constructive criticism or compliments are welcome!

_Present Time:_

 

“Jack, come on!” Mark shook him, and his eyes fluttered open. “Stay awake, okay? Please.” Jack smiled at him.

“I’ll try.” He replied. The woman who was holding pressure- _the deaf woman from earlier_ \- took a shirt from another man and held it to the wound.

Someone must have dragged them in the gate from there. They couldn’t escape from the man pointing the gun at them. Mark could feel the fear radiating off these innocent people.

“Why are you doing this?” One woman asked. She was the one who had been missing her toddler. Mark had helped her and her mother find each other again.

“Because I can.” He stated simply. There would be no getting answers from this guy.

“You shot an innocent kid!” An old man yelled from behind.

“And you’ll be next if you don’t shut up!” He yelled, pointing the gun at his head. It certainly did make him shut up.

Mark put his attention back on Jack. He was much paler than before. He had always been pale, yeah, but not sickly pale like now. Not deathly pale…

“Jack, we’ll get out of here. I promise.” Mark said, grabbing his hand. “I swear, Jack, I’m gonna get you out.”

“Mark, do you really believe that?” One girl with dark purple hair asked. She couldn’t have been over eighteen. She held a baby, probably less than a year old, in her arms. She had offered her help with Jack, saying the loved them both dearly, but when she tried to set the child down she began to cry. Now, she just sang quietly. He and Jack were enjoying it, and it was keeping the others calm as well.

“I do.” He nodded. The baby smiled at him. “She’s adorable. Are you sisters?”

She shook her head and looked down. “Her name is Mia, I’m Sydney. I didn’t… I wasn’t supposed to have her. But now, she’s all I have, and I wouldn’t trade her for anything. One look at her made it worth it.” She smiled, and Mia cooed and crawled out of her mother’s lap and to Jack.

“Is it nice… Ta have kids?” Jack asked, turning his head towards her weakly. He smiled at Mia, and she smiled widely.

She nodded, still smiling. “It’s the best feeling in the world.”

“Can ya describe it ta me?”

“Imagine waking up every morning, the sun shining on your face and the birds chirping. Then, in your tiny apartment, you hear someone moving around and making noises. You look beside you and you see a beautiful baby girl, asleep in her crib beside you. And this little girl makes you who you are. She’s reshaped every aspect of your life, from the time you found out you were pregnant to now. She’s the only one you can really say you love with every bone in your body, and all your heart. You see her eyes open and you just grin, because you can see yourself in her eyes and you just tell yourself that one day, you’ll give her the world. And you’ll spend your whole life trying.”

“Her dad?” Jack asked. Her smile faded as she shook her head.

“Jail, for now. Hopefully for good, after I’m done with him. That’s why I’m here. I have to testify in court tomorrow that he…”

"It's okay, you can tell us." Mark's calming voice could make anyone open up like a book.

"That he raped me." She said, avoiding their eyes and instead looking down at Mia.

“Oh my god…” Mark said. Jack reached out for her hand, and she took his.

“You tell… That sick son of a bitch… that he’s gonna rot in hell.” Jack said, squeezing her hand weakly. She squeezed it back.

“I won’t have to tell him. He’ll know.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

The nurse looked up at Sydney and started signing. Mark looked up at her in question.

“I understand some sign language. I think she said that it’s slowing down, but I'm not sure.” She signed again. “We need to get help fast.”

“Authorities are all lined up outside. They must be starting up a negotiation.” The old man from before spoke. “I don’t know if it’ll work. And it could take a while for them to even get anywhere with him.”

“It has to work.” Sydney said. “But if it doesn’t… I have an idea.”


	4. A Doctor, A Plan, and A Crazy Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this where things get interesting, or is this a filler chapter? It’s both! I really hope you guys are enjoying this so far. To those who may dislike Sydney, she’s here to stay (mostly because I’ve pre-written almost this entire story). I want her to represent us, as the fans, being an important part of their lives. I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same way with this as I do, but I hope you’ll come to like her in the end.  
> Also, I know that updates have been really weird as there's no set date to where I update. I recently got a job, so I can't always guarantee that updates will be on the same day, but I'm going to try to post a new chapter once a week! Likely every Saturday or Sunday. Enjoy the story!

“What is it?” Mark asked.

“Risky. There’s not much of a chance that it’ll work, not without harm.”

“What is it?” He asked again, more sternly.

“We’d all have to get up and rush at him. He could shoot a few of us, but there are too many for him to shoot us all. We’d be able to overpower him and get his gun.”

“It’s not a bad plan…” Jack said. Mark nodded, agreeing with him. Jack was drifting in and out of consciousness, now, and they were all worried. Mia was playing with his hair and giggling. “Damn… She’s a cutie.”

_“Mia loves color, especially in hair.”_ She had said earlier. _“I caught her once coloring on her own head with a marker. Thank god she has dark hair. If it was blonde, like mine was, she would have had blue hair for who knows how long!”_

“If we have any bags here with us, we could throw them at him as well. Catch him off guard. That’s what we learned to do in school.”

“School?” Mark questioned. “That teach that in school now?”

She sighed. “My senior year, we had two gun threats and one bomb threat in a matter of two months. My classmates and I had just watched a video on how a school prevented a shooting by throwing things at the gunman and then tackling him. It works, because we ended up having to do it. Not without losses, sadly.”

“You’ve had a hard time, haven’t you?” Mark asked. _No child should ever have to go through that kind of shit._

“It was rough, but I’m alive, aren’t I? That’s what matters.” She looked over to Mia, who was holding out her pacifier to Jack, and smiled. “But I’d risk my life for hers any day.”

“This plan you had is a good idea, but I don’t want you to be a part of it.” Mark said sternly. “You’re needed.”

“So are you.” Sydney said. “How do you think I got through all that shit in high school? I was stressed to my limits, I couldn’t say no when my teachers asked me to join clubs or help out with sports or extracurriculars, and I was mentally unstable. The only solid thing I could hold onto was, every day when I got home at varying times, I could watch you and Jack play games. You’d make me laugh, you’d make me smile. And more people than you know need that now.”

Mark nodded. “I know people need me. I know what I do for my fans, or at least I know some of it. But like hell if I’m going to let everyone around me risk their lives so that I can live.”

“And that’s exactly how I feel.”

The man told everyone to shut up as there was a loud banging on the door.

“Avery Wou, this is the FBI.” A woman spoke through the door. “We know you have hostages, and we know some of them are hurt. Let us take care of them.”

“No! You’re not taking any of them out of here!”

“Then let us send in a doctor, someone who can help them.”

He paused for a moment. “One doctor. There’s already a nurse in here. Don’t bring any weapons, or I’ll shoot another one.” He looked around the room and laid his eyes on the deaf kid. “I’ll shoot the kid.”

Sydney shot around and grabbed the kid, bringing him close. She signed to him quickly to _stay near us_ and _don’t be afraid_. He nodded and shifted closer. Amazingly, some of the passengers came closer as well and made their bodies into a wall of sorts to keep him out of range.

Sydney stood and whispered to one of the men, who in turn passed along the message.

“What are you saying?” Mark asked.

“The plan. 30 minutes.” She said quickly before the door opened and a doctor rushed in.


	5. Three Bullets vs an Army

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I almost always have a secret theme to my chapters. This one- Challenging the impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been watching a lot of Criminal Minds lately. This doctor is based off of Doctor Spencer Reid, aka my smol bby child <3  
> Another thing, you may have noticed that it isn't Sunday! And I know I told you that I would be more likely to update on Sundays, but I was off of work today and figured 'hey, why not tweak the next chapter and post it tonight?' So, I did.  
> I hope you're enjoying this so far! Constructive criticism and/or compliments are all happily taken into consideration!

“I’m Leo Everett, I’m a doctor with the FBI. What’s the status of the patient?” He said, making his way beside the nurse.

“She’s deaf, sir, but I think I can tell you enough.” Mark said. “His name is Sean McLoughlin. He’s 26 years old and he’s from Westmeath, Ireland. He got shot in the abdomen, but the bleeding has slowed down a lot. He’s been drifting in and out. It didn’t go through him.”

“That’s both a good and bad thing.” Leo said. He pulled supplied out of his bag. “For now, I have to find where the bullet is, and if it’s intact. Mr. Wou?” He looked at Leo. “I need to know what kind of bullets you use.”

“Why?” He asked, pointing his gun.

“Because I need to know so that I can have some sort of idea about how big the bullet is.”

After a long pause, he spoke. “It’s a .45 ACP.”

“Alright, those are easy. I could perform an emergency surgery right here, if it was really necessary. It will be within the next hour, though.” He spoke into his walkie-talkie. “We’re going to need to be fast, he’s already lost a lot of blood. Prep with O Negative, we don’t know his blood type. He’s out cold.”

“What are you guys doing out there?” Sydney asked, having just made a bottle for Mia. She drank greedily and reached for Mark.

“We’re going to try and negotiate for Wou to get everyone out of here. We’ll do anything right now, even get him a plane out of here. We’re trying to do what’s best for you guys in here.”

“Realistically, that may take a few hours. Right?” Sydney asked. Mia ditched her half-full bottle and crawled towards Mark, who looked to Sydney for approval. She nodded her head and he picked her up.

“It may be.” He said, looking to them both and lowering his voice. “But, word is that you guys have a plan in case we can’t. And that’s what I’m in here for. We’re advising you to not do so unless absolutely necessary. Yes, it could save your lives, but he could also kill people. This kind of gun can hold seven bullets at a time. He can kill six of you before he has to reload.”

“He shot up into the air outside, three times, when he was making us all get in here.” The old man spoke quietly.

“Three bullets, then… Listen, I can’t tell you guys to go ahead with this. But I can say that it may save this man’s life if you do.” He said, quietly and sternly. “You may not have been observing Wou, but I have. He’s very shaky and nervous, pacing and tapping his hands against his thighs. He’s new at this hostage situation type thing, probably just recently escalated from gas station robberies. But he went too fast. He’s not going to be able to handle you guys going at him all at once. In my honest opinion, and don’t tell anyone else I said this, but this may be your best chance.”

The old man looked at his watch. “There’s 20 minutes until the plan should go into action.”

“Move it up to 5. And remember, distract him first. If you don’t distract him, he’ll see it coming. Anything will do, but make it something that causes a scene. A big scene.” Sydney responded. The old man went to tell the others. “Mark, you shouldn’t be a part of this. Stay with Jack.”

“You shouldn’t be, either. You have to take care of Mia.” Mia, in response, pulled on his hair. “Ow!” He laughed.

“That’s why I’m not.” She said. “I’m the brains, not the brawn.”

“Well then, consider me a brawn.” He said, handing Mia back to her mother.

“Mark…” Jack coughed. He must have just woken up again. He wouldn’t last much longer. “Kick his ass… but don’t… don’t be a dumbass… and don’t get yourself killed.”

Mark laughed. “I won’t. Don’t die on me, you hear?”

“You know me, Mark… I’m a tough cookie…” He laughed, then coughed. He just wanted to go to sleep…

“I’ll be back in just a few minutes, okay?” And with that, he gathered with everyone else.


	6. Acting and Action!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! First off, I am so sorry for not updating on time! I've been working and I've been sick, but thats not a good enough excuse for not updating for two days in a row! Now that we're at about the halfway mark with this story, I'm going to update only once per week, probably on Sundays. Again, I'm so sorry! 
> 
> Like I said in the beginning of the first chapter, there will be no romantic interest for either of the boys. Sydney is not a romantic interest. Mark and Jack will both remain single throughout this fic. I know both Jack and Mark have girlfriends now (Wishuu, who has some amazing skills with eyeliner btw, and Amy who is so adorable), but I don’t know a lot about either of them. So, for the sake of creativity, I have not written them in.  
> And with all that being said, I love you guys, and I really hope you're enjoying this!

“We go when the lady in pink makes a scene. Her husband, the older fellow in the blue, is going to act like he’s having a heart attack.” A younger guy said. He had a British accent. “Be warned, she’s going to scream. Loudly.”

And that, she did. Her husband clutched at his heart, and fell over.

“Patrick!? **Patrick!!!** ” She screamed. The gunman covered his ears with his hands.

“Now!” The older man, Patrick, yelled. One woman threw her son’s diaper bag, one man threw his briefcase. Everyone was throwing something, or getting ready to charge him.

“What the fuck!?” Wou yelled, dropping his gun.

“I’ve got it!” The British guy yelled, grabbing the gun from the ground.

“And I’ve got him!” Mark yelled back. He grabbed his arms and wrapped them behind Wou’s back. The adrenaline rushed through his body and he pushed him against the wall.

“You’re going to jail, asshole.” He whispered into his ear.

“Guys, they’ve got him restrained. Come in as quickly as possible.” Leo said into his walkie talkie. “Bring a gurney. We need to be quick.”

“Here, I’ve got him.” A big man with a deep voice came up to Mark. He carried a string, probably pulled from the hoodie he was wearing. “Go be with your friend.”

“Thanks.” He said, allowing the big guy to tie up Wou before transferring him awkwardly between the two. He went to Jack, who was being helped by paramedics. They told him to stay back, so he went over to Sydney.

“Can I see your phone?” He asked, and she nodded. He typed on it, then handed it back to her. “I just texted myself from your phone. Now you have my number and I have yours. I’ll keep you posted about Jack, okay? And you can keep me posted about court. I’d go with you, but I’m worried about Jack…”

She nodded. “It’s okay, really. I’ll keep you posted, though. Text me what room number he is. I have to go to the hotel and drop my stuff off, but if you text me I can bring you something to eat?”

“That would be great.” He smiled. “Thanks.”

“Of course.” She said, looking over to the paramedics. They were getting ready to take Jack to the ambulance. “You’d better head with them. Who’s going to get Jack’s stuff?”

“I texted Ryan and Matt, they’re on their way here now. They could probably give you a ride to your hotel and then bring you to the hospital, if you’d like?”

“I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

“Hey, you helped to get us out of this. You kept us all calm and collected and you made sure Jack was okay. It’s the least I can do.”

“Who’s riding with him?” A woman asked. A paramedic.

“I am.” Mark raised his hand. “I have to go, but I will send them your phone number and have the boys call you. I’ll make sure they meet you at the luggage drop off.”

“Thank you, hun.” She waved and he ran off to join Jack in the ambulance.

“There’s a good chance he’ll make a full recovery.” She started, climbing in the back with Mark. “But we have to act quickly. We’ve already made a call to Ireland and gotten his medical records pulled. We’ll be bringing him into surgery as soon as we pull into the hospital. Hope you brought a good book with you.” She said, only slightly kidding.

“Yeah, I think I left mine at the airport. I had just bought it, too.”

“Hey, you know, I always bring a book or two on the job. You can borrow one of mine.” She smiled. “I’m Kathy. Kathy Jonas. That’s who you’ll return the book to when your friend here is out of surgery.”

“Thank you, Kathy. I’m Mark.”

“I know who you are.” She smiled. “My son watches your videos. I recognized you by the hair. I’m not home with my son as often as I should be, and he doesn’t have many friends. But he says to me all the time that you’re his best friend. So thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He smiled back, then shifted his focus to Jack. The ride to the hospital was silent…


	7. UPDATES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NOT A NEW CHAPTER

Guys, I am so sorry! I haven't updated since the 7th of July! It's been a full week since I've updated and I know I promised you updates every week, but I do have a good reason! Or, rather, many.

Saturday, July 9th, my twin sister and I turned 18! And we were so busy the entire day with birthday stuff (even a birthday party that wasn't for us!) that I totally forgot to set a reminder to update.

And Sunday, I packed some, worked from 4-9pm, and still had to finish packing when I got off. I went to camp and it was absolutely amazing! It was a blessing to get away from everything life was throwing at me and meet so many awesome people!

But that's not why I'm updating.

Tomorrow, we are celebrating our birthday (finally) and so I won't be able to update... So, I figured, why not update twice today?

So I am! Today, you shall get one chapter late and another early! So stay tuned, as it will likely be only a few minutes after this update here!

Again, I do apologize for not having this all planned out before and not updating on time.

Hope you enjoy! 


	8. The Waiting Game; Hospital Edition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing our two (other) favorite boys, Matt and Ryan! Also, Jack is in surgery and Mark is feeling super guilty!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have wonderful plans in the making, my friends. Wonderful, beautiful plans with this fic. I can’t wait for you guys to get through the next few chapters! I’m not sure at this point how much longer this will be. About 15 chapters seems nice to me, so I’ll have to start wrapping things up soon. I really hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing this!  
> See the end of the chapter for more notes!

It had been three hours. Three hours since they had taken him into surgery, and he had returned Kathy’s book without getting a new one. People had come and gone from the waiting room, some happy that their loved one had lived, and others left crying after they had passed. Mark hoped that Jack’s case wouldn’t be the latter. _It almost was_.

Matt called him right after they had gotten out of the airport, and it had taken them a special favor from one of Matt’s cop friends to get Jack’s luggage out of the airport in good time. Sydney and Mia had been easier to get out. After Sydney finished her statement to the police, she was free to get her stuff and leave.

_“Another day to spend testifying? Maybe this time I’ll just drive down.”_ She had joked over the phone. The joke had fallen flat, and that’s when Ryan had taken over the phone, saying they’d be there in about an hour and a half.

_They’re half an hour early._ Mark said to himself as he watched the four of them come in. A couple sitting across from him looked up with hope in their eyes, probably expecting to see family, but they looked away when it was just the four of them. Mia was fast asleep in her carrier, while the three adults looked frantic. Matt and Ryan looked exhausted, like today’s events had worn them thin.

_They weren’t the ones who went through all this, but they had been visiting a friend who lives four hours away when I texted them. They must not have gotten any sleep on the way due to worry._

Sydney, of course, looked the worst out of the three. Her hair was knotted and her makeup she had work earlier was smeared to the point of no return. Her eyes were pink and puffy. She had been crying, he could tell by the tears in her eyes and even still streaming down her face.

Mark couldn’t say he looked the best, though. One of the doctors had noticed that he was covered in blood and brought him some spare clothes, for which Mark was very grateful. They didn’t exactly fit, they were too large, but the thought of Jack’s blood being all over him… it just made him sick to think about it. Even if he had been okay with having Jack’s blood all over him, he wouldn’t want Ryan and Matt to see that. Sydney, sadly, already had.

“Mark, thank God!” Ryan said, running to him and hugging him fiercely. He and Ryan were extremely close, and became closer after the loss of Daniel. Matt had grown closer to the two of them as well, but he had known Ryan much longer and had a better relationship with him.

“I’m okay, don’t worry.” Mark said, hugging him back just as tightly. He and Ryan were both shaking. “Don’t worry, man, it’s okay.”

Matt came up for a hug right after him, and he handed him a McDonald’s bag. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he scarfed down two double cheeseburgers and a large fry.

 Ryan joined Sydney and tried to get her to sit down while Mark ate, but she refused. Matt went over and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. She sat down and he kneeled in front of her, whispering softly.

“Matt’s surprisingly more of a comforter than I am.” Ryan said, now sitting beside Mark. “The kid also liked him more.”

Mark chuckled. “Wow, that’s shocking. But then again, not very. Matt is really good with people.”

“Yeah, he is.” Ryan nodded as he watched their interactions. “How are you holding up?” He asked, placing a hand on Mark’s shoulder.

“I’m okay… I just… Not very well, obviously, but… I mean… No, god. I’m losing it.” He held his head in his hands. _“This is all my fault.”_ He mumbled.

“What? Mark, no-”

“That bullet was meant for _me_ , Ryan. But Jack just had to be a hero and take the bullet. But he shouldn’t be in there! It should be me, Ryan.” He began to cry. He hadn’t cried all day, he’d just been holding back the tears. But now that he’d started, he just couldn’t stop.

“Mark?” Sydney put her hand on his knee and he looked at her. She was kneeling on the floor in front of him, crying as well. “I know you feel guilty about Jack. I understand-”

“Do you understand? Do you _really_ understand?” He said, venom slipping its way into his voice. She sobered up quickly, going from quiet and soothing to cold and pained.

“Yes, I do.” She said, the words forced. He prepared to apologize, but she stopped him. She spoke again, sounding like she had before. “And I know you didn’t mean to sound like that, so I’m going to let it go. But I do know. I’ve been in your shoes, in a way of my own. You think it’s all your fault, right? That there was something, anything you could have done to change things. You wish you could turn back time and change how these events went, but you know you can’t. So you’re left with the guilt of _this_ , and you just hate yourself. But I’m telling you, Mark, that you shouldn’t be feeling guilty. This was _his_ decision, and I’m sure he’d do it again a thousand times over. But you’re his friend. You know that better than I do, don’t you?”

“You got one thing wrong…” Mark smiled weakly. “He’d do it a million times over.”

“I have no doubt about it.” She said, smiling back. They were still crying, but now the air was lighter. The air got thick again, though, as a doctor in bloodied scrubs came into the room.

“Who’s here with Sean McLoughlin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this may be the first and only time I will do notes at both the beginning and end of a chapter. I feel like this is necessary, given recent trials the world is going through.  
> This may be a good time to promote the donating of blood. Too often, especially in recent times, the need arises for blood, especially O negative (as it is a universal donor) and O positive (as it is the most common blood type). But since there aren't enough people donating, many often die because they can't get the blood they desperately need. I donate blood whenever I can, and maybe you should as well.  
> Just a thought, though.


	9. They Said He'll Be Okay.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's going to be just fine! Now they're all able to visit our little green haired cutie!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, there is a point where I introduce a transgender character who identifies using “they/them” pronouns. I will italicize those to show that it’s the one single character, not two or more. It sounds complicated, but I’ll show an example below just in case:  
> (“They beckoned the two to follow them.”) Or, (“They said.”) Or, (“They frowned.”)

The group of 4, excluding Mia, stood up. “We are.” Ryan spoke for them.

“I have to tell it to you straight.” He said. At the shocked/horrified looks he got, he backpedaled. “First, though, I need to tell you that he’s alive.” The sighs of relief were loud and many. “But,” they went from relieved to worried in just one more second, “he did lose quite a bit of blood. We weren’t sure at some points if he would make it or not. We got the bullet out, and luckily it hit no major arteries. A little to the left, and he could have died in minutes. But, whether it was a God that you may or may not believe in, or it was pure luck, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we got the bullet out, he’s alive, and he’ll make a full recovery. Once he wakes up, I can go over how long he’ll have to stay and things such as foods he can and can’t eat, exercises he’s limited to, how much rest he needs, and other things like that. We’re going to keep him in the ICU for an hour or two, but just to monitor him. Once he wakes up, he should be okay to move to a regular room. For now, I think I can bend the rules a bit and allow two visitors at a time. You can have Mandy to show you to his room once you decide who’s going in. Mandy is the red haired nurse at the front desk.”

“Thank you.” Matt said, shaking his hand. “Mark, do you want to see him?”

“I… Yeah. Who else?”

“Matt and I are going to see how bad the coffee really is in these hospitals.” Ryan said, smiling slightly. “We can watch Mia, if you’d like to go in and see Jack.” He said to Sydney.

“I- Me? I mean, I’d like to, but you guys are his friends and I’m just-”

“You helped save his life. You deserve to be in there more than any of us.” Mark said.

She shook her head. “I didn’t do anything. You guys are his friends, you should be the first to see him.”

“And his fans are very special to him as well. Besides, he isn’t supposed to wake up for a little while.”

“The doctor didn’t say when he’d wake up.” Sydney pointed out. _Damn, got me there._ Mark thought.

“Just come on.” He said, taking Sydney’s hand.

“Oh, wow, um, okay, I guess, yeah.” She said, flustered. Mark grinned as he realized that she was probably fangirling hard right now, and he took her to Mandy at the desk.

 _Mandy is not a girl_. _I’m not sure about being a guy, either, though._ That was the first thought he had when he saw the only red haired nurse at the station. Mandy was a thin, freckled person with a naturally red afro who was built like a male but had all the grace of a woman. Their nametag read _Mandel_. That’s where the nickname must come from. Mark shrugged. Not like he really cared whether they were called by a feminine nickname or not.

“Ah, Doctor Paige just told me you guys were here to see the green haired cutie!” _They_ said, their voice higher pitched and almost feminine-sounding. He pulled Mandy out of his thoughts.

_Guy or girl, gay or straight, I don’t care. I just need to see Jack._

“Follow me!” His thoughts were interrupted by Mandy leaving the desk and beckoning the two to follow _them_.

“Technically we aren’t supposed to let in two at a time, but Paige said these were special circumstances. I’m so sorry you poor dears had to witness all that chaos.” _They_ said, frowning. _They_ stopped in the hallway. “This is it, a Mr. Sean William McLoughlin’s room. Be careful, now, don’t talk too loudly and keep physical contact to a minimum, if you can. If not, just be super careful, okay darlings?”

“Of course, thank you.” Sydney said.

“Also, try to keep his heart rate down. Don’t let him get too anxious, or too excited. It could hurt him.” _They_ left the two alone and she realized she was still holding Mark’s hand. Before she could pull away, he tightened his grip. “Mark?”

“I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Mark, listen… It’s okay to be scared. But there’s nothing to worry about. Remember, we talked about this guilt earlier.”

He nodded. “Yeah… Yeah, we did. Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”

He opened up the door…


	10. Learning To Speak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a super long chapter, over 3 times as long as the shortest chapter (which would be chapter 2). It’s a very emotional chapter, and Mark finally gets some alone time with Jack to talk about how he feels about Jack playing hero.

...and there he was, out cold due to the anesthesia. Mark let go of Sydney’s hand in fear of crushing it in his own. He was scared to face Jack. What if he woke up and said he regret saving him? What if he wakes up in pure agony and doesn’t want to see him? There were too many ‘what-if’ scenarios that he could go over in his head.

“Mark, sit beside him. Talk to him, it may help him wake up. If you want me out of the room while you talk to him, I can go.”

“No, no, it’s fine. It’s fine.” He said, his voice weak. His knees were weak too. Maybe it wasn’t just his voice and knees that were weak. He pulled up a chair and sat beside Jack. _This is such a cliché_ , he said to himself as he grabbed Jack’s hand in his own.

_“This is the cutest shit I’ve ever seen.”_ Sydney whispered, and Mark chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess it’s a sad kind of cute.” He smiled. He was glad that he brought Sydney in with him. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle breaking down in front of the boys.

“Alright, talk to him now. Pretend I’m not even here. I am a figment of your imagination.” She said, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room.

“This is really weird…” Mark said, turning to her. “I haven’t done this before. I don’t know what to say.”

“Here,” she got up and moved her chair on the opposite side of Jack, “just follow my lead, okay? It’ll come naturally to you.”

She grabbed Jack’s hand and hummed softly. Mark looked at her and started humming as well. She stopped, and smiled.

“While I love to hear you hum,” she started, “I’m only humming because of what you told me earlier. You said my singing helped to keep you both calm. This is something that comes naturally to me, and it’s something he likes. The first thing that popped into my head when I grabbed his hand was to start humming or singing.” She noticed that Mark had let his hand slip from Jack’s while she spoke. “Take his hand again, and tell me what pops into your head.”

He did as he was told. Jack’s hand felt warmer, more natural and less weird in his own. And then, he remembered something. “I remember when Jack and I went to see that improv show before PAX.” He began. “We were with a few others that night. Jack and I sat next to each other and it was fun times all around.”

“Talk to him, not me.” She said. “I’m not here.”

“Jack… you have this super loud, super contagious laughter. Everybody would constantly look back and stare at you, but when they saw that huge grin on your face, they just laughed with you. And it was amazing. It’s just amazing how one person can make an entire room smile and laugh with such little effort. And after PAX, you told me how one guy came up to you and nearly burst into tears. He had been through a really hard time, and nothing was helping him. He felt like he was alone in the world, I think that’s what you said. And then he stumbled upon your channel, and I think your exact words were, ‘he said that when I was laughing, it was like a big, dark-ass cloud had somehow parted to reveal a really blue, really fuckin pretty sky, you know?’ And those stories are some of the best things you can hear, whether it’s said to you by a fan or you hear it from another YouTuber. And I just… I’m glad you’re okay. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if I hadn’t been able to hear that laugh again.”

He was quiet for a while. Sydney pat his hand softly. “That was really sweet.”

“Why don’t you talk to him?” Mark asked. “Maybe he’ll wake up.”

“I talked to you guys in the gate, remember?”

“You spared all the details. You have to give us the full story.”

She smiled. “I guess I can tell you. Gosh, where do I begin?”

“How were you introduced to Jack and I?” He asked.

“My little brother, Micah. He was watching YouTube one day on the television. Amnesia, the Dark Descent. I think that’s what it was, at least. You were hilarious, oh my goodness. But I didn’t really watch your videos until after…” she trailed off.

“After what?” He spoke softly.

“After I had been raped… Everything turned upside down. I told my boyfriend I was pregnant, and he dumped me. He didn’t believe me when I told him what had happened. Everyone thought I was just some slut. I needed to find an escape. And so I asked my brother, ‘what’s the name of that hilarious dude who’s always being scared?’ and he replied, ‘Markiplier’. So I looked you up, and I found your Five Nights at Freddy’s playlist. Good god, that playlist is golden.” She laughed. “Then I found GTA, and that’s when I was introduced to Jack.”

“So what was your first impression of Jack?” He asked, smiling. He had a feeling he knew what the answer would be.

“I thought he was loud as heck.” She said, laughing. He laughed with her, as he had assumed that’s what she would say. “But I loved it. It was adorable and amazing. Skate 3 is still my favorite series of his to this day.”

“Skate 3 was always one ‘a my favorites, too.” A weak voice said.

“Jack!” Mark said, getting up. He recalled Mandy’s words of advice. “ _Keep physical contact to a minimum, if you can.”_

He hugged him lightly, being very careful of him. “How long have you been awake?”

“Honestly, since tha two a’ ya started talkin’ about hand-holdin’ and hummin’. I was about ta go back ta sleep, but Mark started talkin’ about me and I got interested. It was really kind ‘a ya to say, Mark.”

“Glad you think so.” He smiled.

“I should go check on Mia and the boys… I’ll leave you two alone for a bit.” Sydney said, getting up and quickly slipping out of the room. There was an awkward silence before Jack cleared his throat to speak.

“Jack… What the hell were you thinking?” Mark spoke before Jack could get a word out.

“What?” He said, seemingly confused.

“You can’t just risk your life to play hero, Jack. I know you care about me, and I know we’re friends, but you can’t do stupid stuff like that. What would have happened if you had died, huh?”

“Mark, I didn’t care.” Jack said, resigned. Mark looked shocked. “I really didn’t. You’re one ‘a my best friends, man. What would I ‘ave done without ya? What about that mother and her kid? What would have happened ta them if the bullet had gone right through ya? And how could I ‘ave lived with tha thought of ya dyin’ runnin’ through my mind? Especially knowin’ I coulda saved ya. I couldn’t ‘ave lived with that.”

“And I couldn’t have been able to handle you dying to save my ass.” Mark said. “Okay, so we need to agree on something, right here, right now.”

“What?”

“We need to promise to never play hero again and save each other’s life if it means putting ourselves in a deadly situation.”

“Mark, we both know that neither ‘a us will keep that promise.”

Mark chuckled. “That’s a good point.”

“Thank ya, thank ya.” Mark sobered up quickly.

“Seriously though, Jack… You scared the shit out of me. I thought… Shit, man. Please, just don’t do this again. My weak heart can’t handle it.” He said, half joking.

“Fine, I promise ya, and I promise ya weak heart.” He chuckled softly, and tried pushing himself up to a sitting position. The movement made him cry out in pain.

“Hey, take it easy, man.” Mark said, by his side in a second. He helped him sit up and put come more pillows behind his back so he could rest on those.

“Thanks.” Jack smiled.

“No problem. Hey, Matt and Ryan are gonna want to say hey. I’ll go get them.” Mark left the room, promising he’d be back in just a few minutes.

When Jack brought his hand up from under his covers, he revealed crossed fingers. He would save Mark a million times over, again and again, even if it meant a slow and excruciatingly painful death.


	11. Raindrops on Roses...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for not updating last night! My internet went out just before I posted and I didn't even realize it until this morning! But hopefully you'll forgive me with this little two-part segment ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the Sound of Music. It’s one of my favorites, just before the Phantom of the Opera and High School Musical. This story has been in the 3rd person, but centered on Mark and Jack. I decided, though, that Mark and Jack need a break from all the angst, so we’re going to focus on Matt and Sydney for a bit in this two-part piece of art I have written.

“Matt, Ryan, you guys want to see him?” Mark asked, looking to the two of them.

“Actually, Sydney grabbed the wrong bag when she rushed out of her hotel room and she doesn’t have Mia’s diapers with her, so I was just going to take her back real quick.” Matt said.

“I could just call a taxi, Matt.” She said.

“No, those are expensive as hell.” He said.

“Come on, man. At least go in there and talk to him for a few minutes.” Ryan said, clearly bothered. He knew that Matt wanted to see Jack, but why was he offering to leave with Sydney for an hour?

“You have time for that.” Sydney said.

“You sure? Okay. Just a few minutes. Like, 5 minutes.”

“Longer is fine.” Sydney said.

“If you really need to take her,” Mark began, “Jack will live. He’s gonna be fine. You can take her and see him when you get back, if you really need to.”

“I’m just gonna pop in for a few minutes.” Matt said, getting up and walking down the hall.

“Matt, wait! You don’t even know what room number he’s in!” Ryan said, getting up and chasing after him.

“The last room down the hall, on your left.” Mark called, chuckling. _Matt really would be the one to say he’s going to see Jack without even knowing where to look._

 

“Hey, Jack!” Matt said, Ryan entering behind him.

“Matt, Ryan, hey!” Jack smiled. His voice still sounded somewhat hoarse and weak. But he didn’t expect to be back to his loud usual self over the course of an hour, at most. “Sorry ya had ta come all this way ta see little ol’ me.” They laughed.

“Man, I’m just glad you’re okay.” Ryan said.

“Same here.” Matt said. He went to give Jack a pat on the shoulder. “I’d stay, but I need to take Sydney and Mia back to their hotel.”

“It’s all good!” He said. He was just grateful that he had come in at all.

“Are you sure? I mean, I could stay a little while longer if you want.”

“Nah, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.” Jack said, waving him off.

“Yeah.” Ryan grinned. “Jack and I can just bond over looking at the embarrassing pictures I took of you while we were out of town.”

“Wait, what?” Jack and Ryan chuckled to themselves.

“Nothing, Matt. Just hurry back.” Ryan said, holding back his laughter. Matt left the room and heard the boys cackling behind him.

_Weird, but okay…_

“You ready to go?” Matt asked, walking into the waiting room. Sydney had been talking to Mark, who was playing with the now-awake Mia.

“Yeah, let’s go.” She said, standing. Mia quickly started to sniffle when her mom didn’t immediately pick her up. “I’m not going anywhere without you, baby-buns. Chill.” She laughed, picking her up.

Matt and Mark laughed. “Baby-buns?” Mark asked.

“It’s her nickname. I said it once and she laughed for the first time right after it, so I’ve never stopped.” Mia giggled. “Now, that giggle was because she farted.” Matt snorted.

“Gross, yet hilarious.” He said. “Mark, you can go join Ryan and Jack if you want. Unless you want to come with us, I mean.” He understood that Mark might be attached to Sydney. She was with them at the airport and went through all of that with them. Plus, she was really sweet and funny…

“Nah, it’s okay.” Mark said, interrupting Matt’s thoughts. “I’m just gonna grab some bad coffee and hang out with Ryan and Jack.”

“Yeah, this coffee is shit.” Matt laughed. “I can get you guys Starbucks or something.”

“Starbucks!” Mark shaped his mouth into an ‘O’ shape and put his hands to his cheeks. “I can be your typical white girl!”

Matt and Sydney laughed. “We’ll be back soon.” Matt said, helping Sydney with Mia.

“Hey, be careful driving out in that weather.” Mark said, looking through the window. It was absolutely pouring outside. “Here,” He took off hid hoodie and handed it to Sydney, “use it to keep Mia dry.”

“Thanks, but I have a blanket I can cover her with for the time being.” She said, buckling her in and covering her with the blanket. “Though, if you don’t mind, could I use it for myself?”

“Yeah, of course.” He said. Sydney put on the hoodie and, as she expected, it was about 2 sizes too big. But it was warm and she loved it. “Drive safe. Text me when you get to the hotel, and when you leave, and when you get back.” He said.

“You sound just like my dad.” Sydney laughed. “But I will. See ya in a bit!”

“Yeah, see you later, Mark.” Matt said, waving. He looked to Sydney. “I can carry Mia and her seat out, if you’d like?” He asked.

Sydney took the seat and placed her arm through the holder. “No, it’s okay. I’m not sure how well you’d be able to maneuver her around anyways. I’ve had years of experience.” At Matt’s questioning look, she elaborated. “Oh, I’ve taken care of a bunch of my baby cousins.”

“Oh.” He laughed. “I thought you had other kids I didn’t know about.” He said, stepping outside.

“No, not at all.” She said. They ran to the car, and she quickly snapped Mia’s car seat into place and uncovered her before getting in the front passenger side.

“So, is it just you and Mia?” He asked, starting the car.

“Yeah, it’s just us. I lived with my parents for a while, but we couldn’t live in the house after Micah, so we moved out. They moved to Florida, I moved downtown and got an apartment by my college.”

“Micah?”

“He was my little brother.”

“What happened to him?” He asked. He didn’t want to ask, but he felt like he had to.

“He was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, and he didn’t live much longer after that.”

“I’m so sorry… God, I don’t know how I would get over that.”

“I didn’t for a while. I felt guilty for not being able to save him. I realized that I couldn’t have done anything to stop it, but I still felt guilty for not taking him to a doctor sooner.”

“So with what you were telling Mark earlier?”

“All things that I’ve learned over my 18, nearly 19 years of life.” She smiled.

“I’m sorry you had to learn all that shit at a young age.”

“It happens to more people than you know.” She shrugged. “Besides, you’re only two years older than me, if that.”

“How do you know how old I am?” He asked, stopping at the light and looking over at her. The rain was pouring harder, so he turned his wipers to a higher setting.

“I’m a fan. I’ve watched a bunch of your videos.” She stated simply.

“Ah. KidsWithProblems, Cyndago, or SuperMega?”

“All of the above.”

“Wow.” He was surprised, she didn’t look the type to like games, or videos about grown adults playing games. “Right from the start?”

“No, I was late to the party.” They laughed.

“Party, right, sure.” He laughed. “Can I ask, how? You look more like a music and book person to me.”

“Oh, I am.” She said. “I’m actually taking classes so I can become a music teacher. Major in Music Education, minor in English.”

“Oh, that’s really cool.” He said, nodding. “People really need music in their life. And proper grammar.”

“Indeed they do.” She smiled. “No, but really. Micah had been watching Markiplier one day in the living room and I didn’t pay much attention to him before, but after, I watched everything. I found Jack and Cyndago, and you.”

“That’s awesome.” He said.

“Yeah.” She smiled. “I was going to start my own channel, but I didn’t have nearly the amount of time I needed for a good channel.”

“It doesn’t need to be good at first.” He said. “Just a channel. It just needs to be a work in progress.”

“Maybe I’ll try again, then. Post some music covers here and there. I’d love to do games, but I’m not that good.”

“Ryan and I aren’t the best either.” He said, going as the light turned green. “You don’t have to be good, just entertaining. And with SuperMega, it helps that we’re kind of famous for Cyndago.”

“I like to think I’m funny.” She chuckled. Matt looked over at her and smiled. His smile turned into a shocked expression as he saw headlights nearing his car at a quick pace… too quick to slow down.

“Matt?” Sydney asked him, before he turned the steering wheel.


	12. ...and Passionate Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, but I can’t seem to stop the drama from coming into the story, otherwise it gets boring! Gut-wrenching angst seems to be my specialty. Also, remember when I told you there was a sweet surprise? ;) ;) ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for this chapter being late! I usually update Sundays but I had to work and go get school supplies, and I had to make time to visit family who came into town, so its been crazy.   
> I'm stressing over college, which starts in less than two weeks, and so my writing isn't going as quickly as planned.   
> I only have up to chapter 12 written, so I only have two weeks to write another chapter... Sometimes all I need is a few hours, but it took me three weeks to complete chapter 12...  
> Anyways, hopefully I'll somehow be able to pull this off. If it comes to it, this fic may end up having a strange posting schedule or even go on hiatus until I can write again.  
> But thank you guys for sticking with me for this long!!! I love you guys to death!

Sydney and Matt both were yelling, Mia was crying, and the car was sliding on the wet pavement. _Are we really going to die like this???_ Sydney asked herself as Matt tried to steady the car. She looked back to Mia and hoped this wouldn’t be the last time she saw her baby girl.

Then, Sydney closed her eyes and everything stopped.

“Holy shit… Sydney, are you okay?” Matt asked. Sydney was gripping her seat tightly and had her eyes screwed shut.

“Are we dead?”

“No, luckily I am an excellent driver.” He said. Mia’s crying got loud again, and Sydney turned to her.

“It’s okay, baby, Mommy’s here.” She said, placing a hand on her leg. Mia still wailed.

“I have a few umbrellas in the back. I’ll grab one for you so you can get Mia out of her seat, walk her around a bit. Sydney nodded. “While you do that, I’ll go check on the other driver. But first, I have to park on the side of the road.”

Matt parked quickly beside a rose bush, then got out and grabbed two umbrellas, opening one of them. He opened Sydney’s door and handed the open one to her. When she took it, he opened his and started walking towards the other car. It was a big red SUV, overturned in the grass, right by a tree…

“Sydney, call 911!” He said, running towards the SUV. Other cars were stopped, some people were out of their cars and on their phones already. Some were taking pictures. A news van had been sitting at the stoplight when it happened and had begun to set up.

“Welcome to KTLA 5. This is Willow Johnstone, reporting live from the intersection of Rosalind Boulevard and Emory Lane…”

Matt ditched his umbrella, opting to pull up his hood instead so he could run faster. When he got there, he knew the guy was badly injured. His sunroof wasn’t opened, but he could see through it since the car was on its side. He banged on the glass.

“Hey, hey! Sir, can you say something? Are you okay?”

He heard a moan from inside.

“Okay, good, you’re alive, that’s good. Listen, you need to stay awake for me, okay? Tell me about your family or something. Sir? Sir!”

He was no longer replying. Matt kept yelling for him.

“…it looks like the driver who caused the accident does not seem to be responding. The driver and passengers who narrowly avoided collision seem to be okay.” Johnstone said.

Matt heard the ambulances coming in the distance, and he looked to see Sydney on the phone with someone. _Probably Mark_.

“Come on man, please, you gotta wake up.” He said. The guy had moved earlier; he couldn’t be dead now. “Don’t you have a family you gotta see? Come on, open your eyes. They’ll be here soon but for now, you can see me and talk to me. Please, man. Just a few more minutes, they’re almost here.”

But he didn’t respond. Matt stood there in silence, his hands pressed against the glass. He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

“Matt.” A soft voice spoke. “Matt, you have to get out of the way. The paramedics need to get this man out.” He opened his eyes and saw a puffy-eyed Sydney before him. She grabbed his hand and began to gently pull him away. “Come on, darlin. We’re gonna go to the hotel, okay? I still need to get Mia’s stuff.” He heard her coo, having not even noticed that Sydney had her in her arm and wrapped up in a blanket. “First we’re gonna get checked out by a paramedic, though, okay?”

They both knew they were fine, but as a precaution, they had to.

Once the paramedic left, Matt looked at her.

“Is he dead?”

“No. No, he’s not. They have a gurney and three paramedics over there. They wouldn’t be so cautious over a corpse.”

He nodded. “When he wouldn’t answer me, I thought he was dead for sure.”

“No, it’s probably the pain that’s making him drift. Maybe blood loss. I don’t know. But they wouldn’t have paramedics if he was dead. They’d have maybe one paramedic, and a coroner.”

“Good, that’s good.” He said. She could tell he was still shaken up, especially with the way he paced. She stood in front of him.

“You know it’s not your fault, right?” She repositioned Mia on her side. Mia was tired, and was falling asleep quickly.

“Yeah, I just want to know how this happened.”

“Well, it was raining pretty hard.” The rain had definitely lightened up since, but it was chilly. Luckily, Sydney still had Mark’s sweatshirt. “And he was going really fast. Maybe it was too dangerous for him to stop when the light turned yellow. He probably thought he could blow through it before we turned green.”

“Right… I’m sure the news crew will figure it out. If not, then the police.”

“Yeah… Hey, for the record, you are a great driver.” She joked, then sobered up. “Seriously, if you weren’t… I don’t know what could have happened. Thank you.”

She hugged him tightly, as tightly as allowed with Mia cradled on her side. Matt hugged her back just as hard. Then, just as suddenly as everything else that had happened that day, they were kissing right by the same rose bush.


End file.
